Chapter 2: The Ravens Return

Congratulations. You have made it this far. So if you survived Chapter 1, this should be a piece of cake for you.

I think.........

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"Garrett?" Roland stifled a giggle with his hand. "Do you honestly think this is necessary?"

"Yes." Garrett strapped on his proton pack. "That kid has gotta know something. If he doesn't do marksmanship, he has to at least do evasion."

Bane trembled. He had a metal device strapped to his chest and back. For some strange reason, Garrett had painted a bulls-eye sign on its front. Stranger still was that half a dozen pigeons were perched on the antenna and watching them fearlessly.

Garrett hefted his proton gun. "Okay Freshman, you ready?"

"Please, Coach!" Bane whimpered. "Don't do this to me! Please!"

Garrett tweaked at the dials. "Well Freshman, I told you I'd assign you as target if you missed Slimer again."

Eduardo leaned over to whisper to Kylie. "I thought he meant it as a joke."

"So did Howling WereWolf, but she changed her mind."

Bane was starting to shiver violently. "Please give me, like, another chance Coach! I'll hit Slimer for real! I swear!"

Garrett charged up the proton gun. "Freshman, I meant what I said, and I said what I meant." He aimed straight for the device and the bulls-eye on it. "Now. Start. Running."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A large red bicycle zoomed recklessly across the street, terrorizing stray mongrels, alley cats, fancy French poodles and mothers with baby strollers alike. Its rider took no heed to the hurled insults as he continued to speed down the road.

/ Gotta get help.....I just gotta get help..... /

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Garrett looked on piteously as Bane tripped and hit the floor for the 99th time. "Freshman, what I meant by evasion is for you to avoid getting hit and remain in one piece. Not with broken teeth." He came over to check up on his student. "How many gone?"

"I, like, think two, Coach. I, y'know, never really counted."

"And the rest are all chipped, I'll bet." Garrett picked the teenager off the floor and righted him on his feet before helping him to remove the metal device. "Here. Let me take a look."

The trainee hesitantly opened his mouth. Garrett whistled in awe at the extent of damage. "Believe me when I say this, kid: When it comes to injury in the midst of training, you just broke the official Ghost Buster Records."

"Like, that bad, Coach?"

"Could be worse."

"Hey Garrett!" Roland appeared at the doorway. "Get the gear. Someone wants us in the park ASAP."

"Finally: Some decent action. Sweet." Garrett picked up the proton gun again and headed for the elevator. "Freshman, you stay here with Kylie. We'll continue after we finish saving the world from possible annihilation again."

"Sure thing, Coach."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Another unfortunate puss screeched in fear as it narrowly escaped having it's tail run over.

/ Where is it? I should have found it by now! Everyone says it's on this street! /

Suddenly, the cyclist braked with such force his tires squealed in protest. He looked up at the fire station and the anti-ghost logo before him.

/ Jackpot. /

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"I honestly think that the guys are overreacting."

Bane placed a bowl of warm kibbles in front of Sidus. "I think they're just, like, thinking about, y'know, your safety, Mrs. Rivera."

Kylie sighed and switched channels on the set. "I'm far from resembling a beached whale, and I've been through tougher times. Trust me on that." She groaned and flopped full length over the couch. "All that inactivity is driving me insane."

Sidus grunted. Bane choked back a giggle. "So, like, Mr. Rivera doesn't even let you, y'know, walk Sidus anymore?"

"How did you know that?"

"Sidus, like, told me, Ma'am."

"Right. Sure." / Strange kid. /

The doorbell started to chime endlessly. Bane got up from the floor and opened it. "Hi. Can I, like, help you?"

"Is this the Ghost Busters HQ? Are you a Ghost Buster?" The young man did not wait for an answer before grabbing Bane and shaking him by the shoulders. "Please! You gotta come! You gotta help me! My Mom and Sis and Bro and dog are gonna die! I'll do anything! I'll sell my bike! I'll sell my books! I'll mortgage my room! I'll grovel and kiss your feet! Please help me!"

"Hey! Let go! I'm, like, not who you think I am, y'know?" When Bane realized he wasn't getting a word through to this babbling 'Desperate Dan', he turned to Kylie with a someone-save-me expression on his face.

Kylie took pity on the poor boy and pried him from the teenager's hands. "Here now, calm down and tell us what happened. We'll help you as much as we can."

The youth started to regain hold of what little composure he had left before gesturing wildly. "I was just taking my dog for a walk, see. So I got back, saw my little bro, he's only five, see, trying to touch my pet bird. I tried to stop him, thought he might tip the box over, see." Then he lost it again. "I don't know what happened! There was so much red light! The kid was screaming! My mom was screaming! My dog passed out! My sis is on the floor! My mom is hanging halfway off the staircase! My bro is stuck under the doghouse! I keep hearing laughter! Someone wants to kill me! He's gonna kill my family! You gotta help me!"

"Don't worry. We will." Kylie reassured him.

"But Ma'am," Bane spoke up. "Coach and the others are, like, still on a case. Won't be back for a while, y'know?"

"Who said we're waiting for them?"

Bane blinked, caught on, then promptly shook both his head and his hands. "No. No way, Ma'am. We, like, can't do this."

"Bane, this guy needs help. His family needs help. Who knows what's going to happen to those poor people back there while we sit around and wait?"

"Like, who knows what Mr. Rivera and Coach will, y'know, do to me if I, like, let you go out on a bust."

"Come on Bane, please?" Kylie gave her 'babysitter' puppy eyes. "You and Sidus will be going with me? We'll be back before they notice?"

Bane looked from his senior to the client, then back at his senior. The dog grunted behind him and tugged at his glove.

"Et tu, Sidus?" Bane groaned. "Coach and Mr. Rivera are so, like, gonna kill me for this."

Kylie smiled in gratitude before turning back to the youth. "By the way, we never got your name."

"Oh yeah. I forgot. Where are my manners?" The teenager laughed nervously. "I'm Marcus. Marcus Stephen Wallace."

= * =

Howling WereWolf:

It AIN'T OVER!

I'm having a ball of a time. So help me.....

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